


Dark Powers

by KaiahAurora



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Depression, Dreams, F/M, Gen, Kind of Death, LOTS of violence, Self-Harm, Star's cooking, Suicide Attempt, Visions, War, angsty angst, battles, dangerous pudding, pretty graphic, sort of character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-02-28 17:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2740109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiahAurora/pseuds/KaiahAurora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a mysterious intruder in the tower, and Raven is the only one who can stop him... but can she controle her fait long enough, or will the world face distruction again? A new prophecy is made, and hints of Raven's past. Rated T for violence, cutting, mentions of suicide. BBRae and RobStar</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intruder

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first work so it's a bit off, but oh well.

Chapter One: Intruder

Raven looked around her, but still couldn't see anyone. She sighed; it was the third time the alarm had gone off that day, and still no intruders were present. The empath turned around and headed back to the main room, where Beast Boy and Starfire were waiting. The changeling was sitting on the couch reading a comic book, and the alien was cooking something unearthly and disgusting.

"Any luck?" She asked them. They shook their heads.

"Dudes, this is so weird," Beast Boy muttered. "Why can't we see anyone?"

"No one knows, man," Cyborg said, coming into the room. "I scanned the whole tower this time, and still there was no one but us. It's like there's a ghost or something."

Starfire looked up from the dish she was preparing. "Please, what is a ghost?"

The other titans ignored her. It wasn't because they didn't want to answer her question; just they all were really tired. Of course they hadn't gotten any sleep that night, and the night before they were battling a new villain named Malcolm More.

"Titans, report!" The titans looked over to see Robin striding through the entrance. He was putting on his 'Big Strong Leader' act, but Raven could tell that he was just as tired as the rest of them.

"Nothing." Cyborg said unenthusiastically.

"Damn it!" Robin slammed his fist on the counter-top that Starfire was cooking on. Some of her green-yellow cooking splattered onto him. A storm cloud appeared above his head.

"Do not worry, Robin," The Boy Wonder looked up at Starfire with a slightly worried expression – he was  _really_  close to her cooking, not something that most people enjoyed. "I have prepared the pudding of sleep for you!"

Beast Boy and Cyborg laughed a bit at Robin's horrified expression. "I bet it is a pudding of sleep," The half-robot whispered to the changeling. "If it's eternal sleep we're talking about." The boys snickered, while Raven shot them a dark look, and Robin tried to come up with a good excuse to avoid the pudding at all costs.

"Well, Star," he said, sweat-dropping. "I'm going to try to stay awake for the next little while, so I don't really think having the pudding will be such a good idea."

"Oh..." the alien looked down sadly. Robin looked around desperately.

"But I bet the others would love some! Right, guys?" the Boy Wonder said, nudging Cyborg and Beast Boy.

"Uh..." Cyborg sweat-dropped as well.

"Glorious!" Star exclaimed, putting a large glob of pudding into four bowls. She balanced the bowls on her arms waiter-style, and passed one to each of the remaining titans, Robin having left while he had the chance.

"Um... thanks." Raven looked down at the thick liquid, wondering if it was possible to die  _before_  eating the foul-smelling substance. She glanced at the two boys, both of whom had the exact same look of shocked mixed with revulsion plastered on their faces.

"You know..." Beast Boy spoke up tentatively. "I want to try this, I really do, but I don't want to dull my senses in case of another alarm. Sorry, Star!" He shoved the bowl away from him a little, before jumping off the couch and down the hall. Cyborg and Raven glanced at each other helplessly.

Cyborg's mind was racing – there had to be a good excuse. Could he be allergic? No, Star might ask him what he was allergic too. Maybe use one of the other titans' excuses? A light bulb went off over his head. "Sorry, Star, but I have to check the sensors, see what's happening with the no-show intruder. Give my portion to Raven, 'kay?" Star nodded glumly, while Raven shot a desperate look at Cyborg before he ran off.

 _Why me?_  Raven thought as Starfire spooned the pudding from the others' bowls into hers and Raven's.  _Oh Azar, what did I ever do to deserve_ this _much torture?_ There was no excuse Raven could think of, and Star was looking at her expectantly. The girl shuddered, and poked the liquid with her spoon. It jiggled. Sighing, she put a spoonful of the substance in her mouth, and gagged. It had the consistency of cottage cheese mixed with chalk, and tasted like sewage with a slight after-taste of sour milk. Raven closed her eyes, braced herself, and swallowed. Luckily, the pudding didn't make an immediate reappearance.

Starfire was thrilled. This was one of the first times one of the titans had actually eaten some of her cooking! "Raven, how was it? Do you wish to have more? What do you think of it?"

Raven took a moment to answer. "It's... interesting, and very unique. I've never tasted anything like it before." She sighed with relief as Starfire gave her a huge smile.

"Please, friend, eat more!" Raven complied, shovelling spoonful after spoonful into her mouth until the bowl was empty. Starfire also finished her bowl, making loud smacking sounds as she did so.

Raven stood up, looking at the alien. "Thanks for the pudding Star. It was great, really. I would have more, but my metabolism is quick, and I want to make it to bed." She smiled evilly. "Don't forget to give the boys some tomorrow."

"I will not forget!" Starfire said with great determination. "Goodnight, Raven."

"Goodnight, Star."

Raven flew slowly out of the room. As soon as she rounded the corner of the hall she saw all three boys standing in a bunch, waiting for her. The empath stared at them icily. "You guys owe me, so much." Beast Boy gave his trade-mark grin, while Robin and Cyborg put on sheepish looks. Raven rolled her eyes, before remembering something.

"Cyborg, did you actually check the sensors, or was that just to get out of the pudding situation?"

The half-robot grinned, but then looked serious. "It was just to get out at first, but then I thought Star might check on me, so I did a quick sweep of the scanners."

"And?"

"There was definitely someone there," Cyborg looked around the group. "Whoever it was, they're good. They can't be seen by people or cameras, and they've put up some sort of shield that blocks their heat signature. I only caught them when I did a sweep of all areas looking for poisonous gases and the like. Well, apparently whatever their shield is made of, it ain't exactly healthy."

"Wait, dude," Beast Boy scratched his head in confusion. "You keep on saying 'they'. Are there more than one?"

Cyborg shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Anyways, I'm going to add a poison-detecting upgrade to all out communicators tomorrow, so the next time the intruder comes, we'll have a shot at defeating 'em."

Robin nodded with approval, while Raven yawned. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe it was Star's pudding, but she could barely keep her eyes open. The team said goodnight, and parted ways. The empath stumbled into her room and onto her bed, not even bothering to take off her cloak. She was so tired that she didn't notice the shadow growing behind her bed. A hand reached out and grasped her shoulder tightly, another clamped across her mouth.

"Hello, Raven," The voice was dull and cruel, and very familiar. Raven could only think of one thing as she drifted into unconsciousness: H _ow did Slade get into the tower...?_


	2. Home Again, Home Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real warnings, just a bit of violence

Chapter Two: Home Again, Home Again

"Oh, Raven..."

Slade's voice jolted her awake. Raven looked around but couldn't see him. "Where are you?" Her voice bounced back at her eerily from different directions.

"Oh, can't you see me? That's too bad, Raven. If you could see me, then you'd be able to stop this!"

A hard shove pushed Raven forwards, making her slam into one of the metal walls. She grabbed her arm in pain and spun around, looking for a shadow or something to give Slade's position away. At first there was nothing, but then Raven noticed a small blur in the air as his voice came from directly in front of her. "You're probably wondering why you're here. Do you want to find out?"

Reluctantly, Raven nodded. Yes, she wanted to know why Slade had kidnapped her, but she didn't want to hear the twisted truth from  _him_.

"Well, as you know, your role as the portal ended the day you defeated Trigon. However, your father did not die. He simply returned to his kingdom to gather forces. He was waiting for the next prophecy to happen."

Raven's eyes widened. "The... next prophecy? There is no other prophecy!"

Slade chuckled. "Of course, you don't think that there is another. That is because you were supposed to die after bringing your father to earth. But since that wasn't the case, you will follow  _this_ prophecy's path."

The empath ground her teeth. The prophecies couldn't have ended when she defeated Trigon. Oh, no, they had to continue following her, her whole life! "So, what is this prophecy about?"

"You are going to destroy the world," Slade said almost gleefully. "But this time, it will really be you, not your father. It will also be much more fun. I have it on good authority that after you destroy all life on earth, Trigon will make it his kingdom once more. He will bring all the demons from his palace with him, and all those from other dimensions!"

"No!" Raven struck at the air in front of her, one of her fists colliding with a solid mass. Now knowing where he was, she encased Slade in her dark magic. "I will not destroy the world! I stopped it before and I will do it again. You can't tell me of my future because I am in control of my life and you have no say in it!" Tears were coming to her eyes, but she blinked them away, not wanting to show any sign of weakness.

Slade's voice was full of malice. "I'm sorry you feel that way. It's sad that you are deluding yourself once again. However, it will be impossible for you to ignore the signs this time! And remember, I'll be watching and waiting." Raven's magic faltered and there was a quiet thump as Slade landed on the ground. There was a fizz in the air, and suddenly he was visible again.

"I'll send you home now, Raven." Slade grabbed her chin and made him look into his one eye. "I'll send you home so you can slowly succumb to the prophecy and cause your teammates all sort of pain. I will be watching you, very carefully..." The last words were blurred as the dark room disappeared, and a different dark room appeared. It was Raven's room, dark from the curtains being closed. Raven sat down on her bed and put her head in her hands, taking a moment to calm herself. It was bad. Very, very bad. She had thought that the old prophecy was done and gone. Now, she had to live though another one. This time, she didn't even know what was coming. Raven closed her eyes tightly, wishing that it was all just a bad dream.

A knock on the door brought her back to reality. "Hey, Raven," Beast Boy's voice sounded through the door. "We're going out to get pizza. Wanna come?"

Raven opened her mouth but no sound came out. She swallowed and tried again. "No, thanks."

Out in the hall, Beast Boy scratched his head. He knew Raven would say no, but she'd never added a 'thanks' to the end before. "Uh, Raven, are you feeling okay?"

There was a pause, before her voice sounded again. "I'm fine. Go away, Beast Boy." A normal enough response for Raven, but the tone was softer, almost like she was forcing herself to say the words. Beast Boy put his ear to the door and allowed his excellent hearing to take charge. There were the sounds of deep breathing and a quick heart beat, as well as the slightest hint of a sniff. The changeling's ears drooped; he always hated it when one of the titans was upset, but Raven was special. Not only did she usually have very good cause to be upset, but there was never an easy solution.

Beast Boy sighed and walked back to the main room, shaking his head at the others. They nodded, having expected this, and went down to the T-car. Staring out the window, Beast Boy silently promised that he would find out what was upsetting Raven and fix it, whatever it took.


	3. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets a bit darker, but still no real trigger warnings

Chapter Three: Decisions

There was a knock on her door. Raven sighed and sat up, the damp cloth on her head falling to the floor. She didn't want any company at this point, and especially not the loud and intrusive changeling.

"Beastboy, for the last time, I'm okay and I don't want to be disturbed!"

"Glad to hear that, Rae." Cyborg's voice came through the door. "But I need to talk to you."

The half-robot stepped into the dark room as the door swished open. Raven was looking at him with an annoyed expression on her face. Suddenly, Cyborg became a bit nervous. "Uh… I have an idea of who might be in the tower."

Raven's face lost all trace of emotion and she stood up, wrapping her cloak around her tightly. "Oh?" Her voice was forcibly neutral.

"I think it might be Slade." Cyborg held up a hand as Raven opened her mouth to protest. "Yeah, I know we all though Slade was gone, but we've thought that before. I was just wondering if you could do a spell or something to try and see if it's him."

Raven shook her head immediately. "I would be able to tell if it was Slade," she lied "I know it isn't him."

"But-" Cyborg started.

"No!" Raven said. "I know it isn't him and there's no spell I can do to prove it, so please leave me alone, now." Her voice contained barely suppressed anger and a hint of something else that Cyborg didn't recognize. As he stepped back into the hall and the metal door slid closed, the half-robot wondered what was going on with his mysterious teammate.

In the room, Raven sighed. She didn't know why she was hiding this from the others – it wasn't like the last prophecy where she had been concealing it her whole life. They should know that Slade was back again, and they had the right to know about the new prophecy. It was just… when Trigon had disappeared in that glow of white almost a year previously, Raven had assumed that her life-long tormentor was gone for good. Sighing, the empathy walked over to her bookcase, and began a search for something that might help her. It was going to be a long night.

"I don't know, man." Cyborg sighed, closing the hood of the T-car. It was obvious that he wouldn't be getting any work done soon. "She's Raven, you know? Maybe something got loose in her mind again, and she just has to deal. If she needed help, she would've asked us."

"No, she wouldn't!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "That's just the point. Raven never asks anyone for held because she thinks we shouldn't be bothered with her troubles. I really think that something's going on here. The last time she was all mysterious and mopey, her father broke free and nearly destroyed the whole Earth. I'm not asking you to go into her mind with me or anything, but please Cy, will you just come with me to talk to her?"

Cyborg looked at the changeling in defeat. Beast Boy was usually so Happy-go-lucky that you couldn't really refuse him when he was serious. Putting down his toolbox, the half-robot followed his teammate up to Raven's room.

"Good," Beast Boy said nervously. "Now, just go ahead and knock on the door, 'kay Cy?"

"Oh, no you don't!" Cyborg backed away, holding his hands up in refusal. "You're the one who thinks that something's wrong. If either of us are gonna get killed, it should be you."

Beast Boy looked at his friend, and then back at the metal door looming over him. Gathering his courage, the changeling quietly rapped his knuckles once against the entrance to Raven's room. For a moment, there was no reply. Then, an irritated voice called out "What?"

"Hey, Raven," Beast Boy called nervously through the door. "Do ya think we would talk to you, maybe? Now?"

"Aren't you talking to me already?" she shot back in a monotone. Beast Boy began to sweat slightly.

"Well, yeah, but I was thinking more that you would kinda come out of your room. You've been in there all day."

There was a slight shuffling, and the door slid open. Beast Boy's fears were immediately confirmed when he caught sight of his fellow titan. Her skin was paler than usual, and she had dark circles under her eyes. The changeling couldn't understand how she had gotten to look so bad in just one day. Thoughts of Starfire's pudding flitted through his mind. He had originally planned to ask her quietly and nicely if something was maybe-possible-in-the-slightest-way wrong, or even could be improved. However, having seen her, Beast Boy took Raven's hand in his own and began to march to the common room. Raven was so shocked that she didn't kill him. Cyborg was also surprised beyond belief, but he followed his teammates through the halls, making sure to keep a safe distance.

As soon as they entered the common room, Beast Boy let go of Raven's hand. Having spent all of his courage already, he just grinned widely in response to her death-glare, and went to hide behind Cyborg. The half-robot rolled his eyes at his friend's behaviour, and called Robin and Starfire on their communicators. Within a few minutes, all five titans were assembled and waiting for an explanation.

"Well?" Robin asked. "Cyborg, why did you call us here?"

"Don't ask me!" he replied, holding up his hands. "BB was the one to drag Raven out of her room. I just followed him to give life support as needed."

With that, Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire split their attention between Raven and Beast Boy. The empathy was staring fixedly at the green boy, while the changeling was looking anywhere but at his dark teammate. Finally, with his gaze fixed firmly on the floor, he began. "I noticed that Raven was acting a bit weird this morning when I talked to her. Just now she opened the door, and she looked kinda bad. I dunno. I just thought it was better to be safe than dead."

"Raven?" Robin asked firmly, noting the extreme paleness of her skin and the marks under her eyes. It might have been his imagination, but she seemed to be slightly thinner than before.

Realizing that her friends would keep on pushing until they got an answer, Raven took a deep breath, and came to a decision. "Okay," she said. "I'll tell you what happened last night. But it's not going to be good."


	4. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing dark, pretty short

Chapter Four: Plans

"Well?" Robin asked after a while. The silence was becoming more than awkward, and frankly he wanted to know what was going on.

"Slade was the intruder," she finally said. As she had expected, her teammates didn't react in the most favorable of ways. Starfire let out a small shriek, Cyborg swore, and Robin and Beast Boy stared at the empath with equal measures of shock and horror on their faces. Knowing that she needed to explain, Raven decided to tell the tale in full and deal with the outrage and blame from her friends later.

"After we called it quits, I started to get really tired. I don't know if it was Star's pudding or something from Slade, but I could barely keep my eyes open. When I got to my room, he was there, and I heard his voice right before I passed out. When I came to, I was in a metal cell and Slade was there, but I couldn't see him. He told me," She paused and closed her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself. "He told me that there was another prophecy. Apparently, I'm going to end the world."

"No," Robin said quietly. The others were too shocked to speak. Raven couldn't look at her friends, so she settled for boring a hole in the floor. After a few moments of shocked silence, Robin cleared his throat and cautiously asked "Was that all he said?"

"Of course not. He couldn't resist his signature cryptic threat," Raven sighed. "He said that it would be my powers that destroy the world, not my father's. He also said that my father was alive, and as soon as I finish being a destructive mass of evil he's going to unleash demons from all the dimensions onto the Earth and take over the planet. Slade seemed very happy about that particular point."

"What?" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Why? I mean, the last time Trigon tried to become the dude-king-of-all- the-world, Slade was the one who gave us the ring of Azar, helped us find Raven and fought against her dad. Why would he be happy now?"

"I don't know," Raven said, putting her head into her hands. "I don't know what any of this means."

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Cyborg asked quietly. "Slade could be lying."

"I don't know," the empath repeated. "I've been looking in my books for the past few hours, and nothing's turned up to state one way or the other. It is possible that I could do a spell to find out what's going on, but if my powers really are going to go crazy, it will most likely kill us all."

"Okay, team," Robin said firmly, providing some much-needed stability to the situation. "This is what we're going to do: until we hear otherwise, we're going to assume that the world's not going to end, so no one needs to panic. Raven, you're going to keep looking into this without using your powers. If you find anything, let us know. I'm not just talking about prophesies in your books and stuff like that; if anything happens with your powers, or if you have a vision, or even feel funny, you tell us. No keeping it to yourself because you don't want us to worry." Raven let a small smile appear on her face. That was exactly what she had been planning to do. Robin saw this, and let himself relax the tiniest bit.

"As for the rest of us, we're going to do our own type of research. Cyborg, you run scans on everything and everyone; see if there's anything strange going on. Starfire, work through the ancient prophecies of all different cultures and find anything related to the end of the world. Beast Boy, you and I are going to find Slade."

Each titan nodded at their assigned task, and started working right away at Robin's signal. Starfire flew off to her room, where a few storybooks from her home planet resided. Cyborg went to his room as well, and began working on an all-new series of scanners. As she was about to walk away, Raven stopped when a thought struck her.

"Robin," she called quietly to her leader. He turned from where he was searching on the computer mainframe with Beast Boy. "If my father is alive, why haven't I heard anything from him? The only reason I can think of is that he knows about the prophecy."

"I know," Robin said. "It doesn't look good."

Beast Boy watched Raven nod and walk away. He couldn't help but notice the way that she moved in a hunched-over, defeated way, and that his heightened sense of smell could detect obvious distress and pain coming from his dark friend. Sadness filled his green eyes as he thought about what she must be going through. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to run to the empath and hug her, hold her in his arms and tell her that everything would be okay. Who knows? He might even make her believe it. Robin saw the expression on the changeling's face.

"The only way we can help her now is finding Slade," he said firmly in his leader-voice. Then, in a softer tone, he added "I know you care for her, but I don't want you to lose focus on the bigger picture. For now, we're the only chance she has. We can't let our emotions get the better of us."

"You think it's true, then?" Beast Boy looked his leader right in the eye. "You think that she's really going to end the world." A small nod was his only response. "So what do we do?"

"Everything we can." Robin's mouth twisted into a half-smile. "We find Slade, beat the truth out of him, bring him back here, and save the world." His smile broadened into a full-on grin. "No pressure."


	5. Searchinh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much, just a bit of angst

Chapter Five: Searching

"Remind me why we're here?" Beast Boy asked, gloomily looking around the long-dried walls of an abandoned sewer system.

"Because Raven is our friend, and we need Slade to get answers so we can help her," Robin said much too calmly. "I thought that much was obvious."

"Well, yeah," the changeling kicked an old soda can further down the tunnels. "But why are we  _here_? Slade's smart, but I don't see why he would hide himself down in a place like this."

"The computer said that this was the most likely spot," Robin sighed.

The two of them continued on their way, exchanging banter to distract each other from the seriousness of the situation. Beast Boy was actually surprised that his serious leader was joining in on the potentially-distracting activity, but he guessed that Robin must be feeling the strain as much as everyone else. If Slade was down here, it would either mean a hard and bloody battle, or more cryptic threats. If he wasn't in the sewers, then they would have to keep on searching all night. The winter sun had already set below the city's horizon, and it was getting cold. A slight scuffling brought the boys' attention to one of the many channels splitting off from the main tunnel. As they glanced at each other, Robin and Beast Boy confirmed that whatever had made that sound was too big to be a rat.

"Don't attack unless we need to," Robin whispered quietly. "We can't defeat him with just the two of us."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes, biting back a retort that they couldn't defeat Slade with all five of them there. He changed into a wolf and sniffed the air, giving his leader a nod when he recognized the enemy's scent. They crept forwards slowly and cautiously, peering around the edge of the tunnel at the same time. A singular robot stood in the knee-deep water of that particular sewer, looking straight at them. Robin stood up straight and Beast Boy changed back into human form, both of them walking calmly up to Slade's electronic minion. Without even bothering to speak, Robin lifted the mask from the robot to reveal the screen underneath.

"Robin," the calm and cool voice resonated from the tinny speakers. "I'm glad you finally decided to show up. Tell me, how is our girl?"

"She's no one's girl," Robin said with a hint of steel in his voice. "And she's fine, no thanks to you."

"Glad to hear it." The boys could hear the smile in his voice. "I assume that you've come to ask about your impending doom. Sadly, I can't tell you much, and what I can, I won't. Just tell that little witch of yours not to do anything silly before she ends the world; it might get her killed."

Beast Boy growled in protest and Robin decided that actions would be better than words. The robot collided with the opposite tunnel's wall with a resounding  _thunk_. They turned and began to walk back to the nearest exit onto the street, each wondering what they were possibly going to tell the others. Whatever they would eventually up with, it wouldn't be a good thing to hear.

XXX

Meanwhile, back at Titan's Tower, Starfire had found something very interesting. She had been searching through sources from all different cultures, specifically the non-human ones, looking for something that might help them figure out the new prophecies. One of her very old story books, from the planet Gorgnack, told of an enchantress who was corrupted by herself, and proceeded to end the world. Of course, while it was relevant and would probably help them, Start was not at all happy with what it indicated. Frowning, she put it to the side and continued to scan through her books, deciding that she would show the others as soon as Robin and Beast Boy got back.

A knock on her door tore the alien's attention away from her books. She glided over and opened it, revealing a worried looking Cyborg. "Have you found anything?" he asked, eying the large piles of books strewn across her floors.

"I have found only one possibility," Star admitted. "And I would share it with you when friends Robin and Beast Boy return. Has your search been more successful?"

"Not at all," he sighed. "I'm currently running a scan through all the internet files. If there's anything relevant, the computer will pick it up. Even UFO sightings make the list! I can't do anything 'til it's done, though." His face darkened, losing all traces of humor. "Do you think that Slade's telling the truth?"

"I do not know," Star said, her eyes darting down the hall to where Raven's room lay. "She has said nothing to us about it, but she had hidden many things in the past. It is entirely possible that there is another prophecy. However, it is equally likely that Slade is attempting to distract us from one of his plans. I suppose that we will not know until we find him, or Raven has a vision."

XXX

Back in her room, Raven was pacing. She had looked through all her books the long way, unwilling to use her powers in the fear that they might really be dangerous. Now, she had nothing else to do but wait. Part of her wanted to go to Star and Cy, to just do  _something_ , while a much larger part was telling her to stay on her own. Raven knew that if she faced the worry and concern of her friends, sooner or later she would break. The last time she dealt with a prophecy, knowing that her friends cared so much had made her feel loved, but it also made the situation all the more painful.

'No,' she thought to herself. 'This time, I won't let them be harmed.' Suddenly, her vision flashed, and she sank to the floor. A vision was forcing itself upon her. Barren landscapes and glowing red eyes filled her mind, along with images that went by so fast she couldn't focus on them. A searing pain emanated from her chakra, the jewel set on her forehead, and Raven knew all at once that what Slade said was true – the prophecy would come to pass, whatever it was. As if it was a signal, the flashes stopped. The pain, though, only increased. That, coupled with the despairing knowledge, was too much for the empath. Kneeling on the floor in the middle of her bedroom, all alone, Raven screamed.


	6. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angsty fluff. I was thirteen when I wrote this, okay?

Chapter Six: The Truth

Cyborg didn't wait for the door to open, instead blasting it off of its hinges. He and Star raced inside to see Raven kneeling on the floor, her face twisted in pain and screaming. "Raven!" Cyborg yelled, grabbing her shoulder, but she didn't react. He instantly started scanning her, and the results made his heart sink. "Star, we need to get her to the med wing. Something's wrong!"

XXX

Robin and Beast Boy were just about to start their way back when Robin's communicator beeped. Whoever was on the other side didn't even wait for Robin to answer before he started speaking. "Raven's in trouble! Get back here now!" And with that, Cyborg cut the connection. Robin and Beast Boy exchanged glances, and instantly took off. Beast Boy changed into a pterodactyl and grabbed on to Robin's wrists. They were back at the tower in less than ten minutes. They followed the sounds of raised voices to the medical bay, where they found an awful scene.

Raven was thrashing around on a bed, moaning and gasping like she was being choked. Starfire was trying to calm her down, but had been forced to restrain her. Meanwhile, Cyborg was running from machine to machine, muttering to himself and yelling out questions and instructions to Star.

"What happened?" Robin asked, walking quickly over to help Star hold Raven down.

"I don't know," Cyborg said a little frantically. "We heard her scream, and when we got to her room she started freaking out! Her body's under extreme stress, and she's in a lot of pain. It's like she's having a fit or something but I can't tell what's wrong!"

"What can we do?" Beast Boy asked seriously, moving to stand by Raven's head and looking down worriedly at his friend.

"Just make sure she doesn't hurt herself," Cyborg said. "I'm going to get a sedative. I just hope that nothing bad happens because of it."

"What do you mean?" Robin asked worriedly.

"She's half demon," Star gasped as Raven continued to thrash around. "We do not know what affects man-made substances and medicines might have on her system."

"Then is there any way that we can avoid it?" the Boy Wonder asked.

"No," Cy said, moving over to inject the sedative into an IV attached to Raven's arm. "She's going to do some serious damage to us or herself, and her body's under too much pressure. She needs to calm down or she'll have a heart attack or something." Raven's struggles subsided and her breathing slowed, though she was still gasping. "There."

The four titans watched silently as their friend stopped moving entirely. She was so pale, and there were dark circles under her eyes. If not for the heart monitor, which showed her steadying pulse, they might have thought she was dead.

"Did you have any luck?" Cy asked Robin after a moment.

"Not really," he sighed. "Slade sent a robot to tell us that we're all going to die. Not much else. How about you?"

"Nothing. The scan will be done soon, but I wouldn't get too hopeful if I were you."

"I have found something," Star said hesitantly. "But it is by no means a good thing."

At the others' encouragement, the alien went to her room and found the storybook that she had been looking at before. She opened to the chapter about the enchantress. "Isn't this just a storybook?" Cyborg asked, casting his eye over the elaborate pictures. "I mean, it's not like I can read it or anything, but the chapter before it looks like it's warning you against trusting strangers."

"That is what I thought when I first read it," Star said. "Until I saw this." She flipped the page over to reveal a picture of the enchantress. While the figure was completely black, a glowing red jewel was set in the middle of her forehead. The enchantress was dressed in a cloak as well, and the setting… it looked like an old interpretation of Jump City. Except, there were a lot more broken buildings, and dead people on the streets.

"That," Beast Boy said after a moment. "Does not look good."

"We won't let this happen!" Robin said, determination ringing in his voice. "Raven will be able to stop this. We can help her do it."

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire all nodded in agreement. No matter what, they would help their friend, whether she liked it or not. However, that could only start after she woke up. Until then, there wasn't much that anyone could do. Cyborg started teaching the others about how he thought Raven's body might react to various substances, and so showed them what to give her in different situations. This was important as, if she ended up in the medical bay again one way or another, the half-robot wouldn't be able to watch her at all times.

Once the lesson in medicine was done, Robin and Cyborg started working on some computer programs that might help them in days to come. Starfire went back to her room to look through the rest of her books. Beast Boy was left alone to watch Raven.

"Hey, Raven," he said once the others had gone. "I know you can hear me. Well, you probably can't, which is why I'm going to be telling you this stuff. I like you, Raven, as in a lot. I know that you think I love Terra, but I've never felt this was about anyone other than you. I'd die if anything happened to you. When the other prophecy happened, and we all thought you were dead, I didn't know what to do. It felt like I couldn't breathe. Then, when we were all facing ourselves, the other me kept going on about Terra. It made me so mad, not because of what he said about her, but that he didn't say anything about you. I love you, Raven, so don't you dare go anywhere without me."


	7. Visions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just more angst. More serious trigger warnings coming up in future chapters.

Chapter Seven: Visions

Raven was locked in a world of nightmares and horror. She was in hell, with demons surrounding her and her father making plans to destroy the world. All of a sudden, her friends appeared, all of them looking worried and asking if she was okay. She yelled at them to go away, that they were all in danger, but it was too late. Raven watched, unable to move, as each of her friends were killed one by one. Cyborg was the first to go, melted and burnt by a demon's fiery breath. Starfire was next, shot out of the air with a poisoned arrow. Robin ran to her side, and just had time to send Raven a horrified look before he himself was crushed by her father's hand.

"How could you do this?" Raven screamed at Trigon, still unable to move. "You were dead! You were never supposed to come back again!"

"I did not do this," Trigon smirked at his daughter. "You did. Everything here is your fault. Behold what your powers have done."

Raven, finally able to move, looked around at her fallen friends. They had died because of her. But wait… there was someone missing. "Raven," Beastboy's voice sounded from behind her. Raven whipped around to see the changeling looking at her with solemn green eyes. "Help me, Raven."

She took a step towards him, only to notice a silver dagger embedded in his chest. Blood fell to the ground, bleeding his life force away. "No," Raven gasped, starting towards him. She had just enough time to catch him, then he died in her arms.

Beastboy was sitting beside Raven's bed, keeping up his vigil with great responsibility. Starfire had offered to take over, but he had refused, saying that she should talk to Robin about what else needed to be done. In truth, he didn't want to leave Raven's side. For some reason, he felt that the life of the empath rested in his hands, and he had never been more serious about keeping her safe. So, when Raven gasped and started thrashing around in her sleep, Beast Boy was scared. When she screamed, he ran over to the wall and pushed the alarm without a moment's hesitation. When he ran back to her side, and her eyes snapped open, he asked her what was wrong. And when she threw her arms around him and started to sob, he had absolutely no idea what to do.

"What happened?" Robin's tense voice asked as he and the others burst into the room. They all froze as they took in the scene.

"Ssh," Beastboy said comfortingly to Raven, even though inside he was a panicky mess. He had one arm firmly supporting her back, while the other gently rested on her shoulders. "It's okay. Everything's okay." This caused the empath to sob even harder as she tightened her arms around him.

"Raven?" Robin asked, coming forwards to stand in front of the pair. "What happened?"

It took a while for Raven to calm down enough to speak. Slowly, her sobbing turned into silent crying, and her breathing calmed down. "I'm sorry," she said to Beast Boy, without removing her head from his shoulder.

"It's okay," the changeling said soothingly. "It's okay."

Once she had composed herself enough, Raven sat back and looked at her teammates in embarrassment. They seemed to sense that she couldn't find the words, so Robin asked again. "What happened?"

"I had a vision," she replied in a voice that was more or less steady. "In it, you all were killed."

They were all shocked. "Are you sure it was a vision?" Cyborg asked, worried not for his own sake but for Raven's. "You sure it wasn't just a dream?"

"No," she sighed. "I can tell the difference."

"What else was in the vision?" Robin asked after a pause.

"I don't know," Raven shook her head as she got to her feet. "It was all confusing. I don't know what's happening but… I think I need to be alone right now."

The others stepped out of the way, unable to argue as Raven walked silently passed them and disappeared into her room.


	8. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavy trigger warnings in this chapter for self-harm and a suicide attempt. If this is triggering for you please message me so I can tell you what happens in the chapter, or we'll work something else out.

Chapter Eight: Falling

Raven sat quietly in her room. She was strangely calm, all things considered. The empath knew that she was going to kill her friends. She also knew that they wouldn't blame her for it, which made the whole thing worse. However, this knowledge revealed what she had to do. Standing slowly, Raven moved over to a dark wooden chest in the corner of her room. She placed her hand on the lock and murmured a spell, smiling sadly as it clicked open. At least her powers were still under her control… for the moment.

Inside the chest were many magical artefacts that the other titans didn't even know she had. There were rune stones, casting bowls, and the rare raven's feather here and there. There was also a slim wooden box, with a dark metal lid carved with ancient symbols. Raven pulled the box out slowly and opened it. A gleaming silver dagger, embedded with glowing rubies and gold, rested in scarlet fabric. Raven looked on the weapon with near fondness in her eyes. This was her solution, her way of escape. But still… an image of the knife embedded in Beast Boy's chest flashed before her eyes, the same as it was in her vision. She couldn't let it come to pass.

Raven took hold of the dagger and went to sit on her bed. She had about an hour, she guessed, before her friends would come asking if she was alright. She would be long gone by then. The empath placed the dagger at her wrist, wondering how exactly to do this. Despite her gothic appearance and generally pessimistic views on life, she had never actually cut herself before. She knew that if she killed herself right away, her powers would go berserk and try to heal her, resulting in either her being healed, or the tower getting blown up.

So, that meant that she should start slowly. Not her favorite course of action, but it was her choice none the less. Raven winced as the cold steel blade bit into her wrist, drawing blood. She pressed down hard with the dagger, wanting to draw a lot of blood the first time. The weaker she was for the final… event, the less her powers would interfere. Pressing a cloth to her wrist, Raven waited to see if another cut would be necessary. If she had cut deep enough the first time, she wouldn't have to repeat the process. A few tears slipped down her cheeks as she thought about what she was doing, but there was no stopping it now. She had no choice.

XXX

In the lounge, the other titans were pacing, or whatever version of pacing suited them best. Robin moved constantly between the computers and the windows, waiting for something to happen. Cyborg checked monitor after monitor, making sure that all the scans were still working, and checking that everything was okay in the tower. Starfire hovered nervously above the couch, wondering what she could do to help the situation, and Raven. Beast Boy was the only one who wasn't moving. He sat on the couch with his arms folded, staring unseeingly at a spot on the floor. Inside he was a writhing tangle of complicated emotions, but he knew that he couldn't act on them yet. Every now and again the changeling strained one of his senses, either hearing or scent, to try and see if Raven was coming. Whatever she was doing in her room, it was quiet.

After a full twenty minutes, Beast Boy couldn't take it anymore. He got to his feet and started for the door. "What are you doing?" Robin asked angrily, just as the changeling had expected.

"I'm going to check on Raven," Beast Boy said, not stopping or turning around. "And before you tell me that she needs some space, she freaked out and then started crying, and for all we know she might be having a vision or be under attack by her own powers. Slade could have gotten her again, too! So I'm just going to make sure that she's okay."

Robin couldn't argue with that. In truth, he had been itching to make sure that his friend was alright as well. He watched as Beast Boy disappeared down the hallway, the doors sliding shut behind him. The Boy Wonder was worried about all of this, more than he would ever admit to anyone, especially to Beast Boy.

XXX

Beast Boy stood outside of Raven's door. He considered changing into a fly or something to see what was going on, but decided that Raven really needed some privacy right now. "Raven?" he called out, knocking quietly on the door. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," the answer came a bit to quickly to not be a complete lie. "Go away."

"Raven?" Beast Boy asked again, knocking a little louder. "What's going on? Did you have another vision?"

"No, everything's fine." Her voice sounded choked, like she had been crying. "I'll be out in a bit."

Beast Boy trusted Raven with his life, but never with anything involving her health or safety. So, he felt justified just to check on her story. He turned into a dog, checking first by scent that she was alone. However, instead of the warm scent of Raven, he was overwhelmed by the stench of blood. How had he missed it before, even if he was in human form?

Beast Boy didn't wait to knock again. He just turned into a gorilla and knocked the door off its hinges. He ignored Raven's angry shouting, changing back into a human and crossing the room in a few short steps. Making a b-line for her wrist, where he saw that the blood was coming from, Beast Boy caught her other hand as it came, trying to push him away. When he caught it in his own, though, his attention was drawn by what she held. A silver dagger, its blade covered in deep red blood. Quickly, Beast Boy looked at the other arm, where two deep cuts lay, perfectly straight and parallel.

"No!" Raven screamed, trying to push herself away from him. Her struggles were already weakened from blood loss. "Stop it! I want to die! I want to die." She sobbed, sliding to the floor and hiding her head in her arms.

"Raven," Beast Boy said firmly, for the moment unable to scream. He knelt beside her, placing a bloodstained hand on her shoulder. "Raven, look at me." She didn't respond. "Look at me now!"

It only took him a moment to get over the complete shock that kept him to calm. Within the space of two seconds, Beast Boy had his arms around Raven, and started screaming for help.


	9. A Helping Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for continuations from last chapter, and more angst.

Chapter Nine: A Helping Hand

Raven awoke slowly, her eyelids leaden and her mind in a blur. She felt so weak, barely able to move or even make a sound. However, when she opened her eyes and saw the concerned faces of her friends once more looking down at her, and the previous events came rushing back to her, she found the strength to react.

Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy watched in horror as Raven, who had opened her eyes to look at them, starting crying. This was something that rarely happened, but had been occurring with alarming frequency in the past few days. Normally, Robin would have asked what had happened, but Beast Boy had given them a pretty clear idea. They knew that the last thing Raven needed was the thought that they were accusing her. So, Robin asked the only question he could think of.

"Why?"

Raven didn't look at them, preferring instead to stare at the ceiling. "It was the vision." Her voice was soft and husky. "You all were killed because of me. I couldn't let that happen."

"You could have told us," Cyborg said quietly. "We could have helped you."

"I did tell you," Raven answered, still addressing the ceiling. "Just not everything. I couldn't."

"Wasn't there any other way you could have dealt with it?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, you don't even know how or when any of that will happen."

"I know that it will happen soon."

"How?"

Raven finally looked at him, her eyes large and pleading. "Because I tried to kill myself with the very knife that kills you. Now it's tasted blood. I've ruined everything."

The others exchanged worried looks. "What do you mean, tasted blood?" Robin asked nervously.

"Oh, you think I have a normal dagger in my bedroom?" Raven smiled humorlessly. "That knife has never been used before. It was given to me in Azarath, as a way to escape before the prophecy came true. I should have used it then, but I didn't. When it tastes blood, it is awakened, and will remain so until it drains someone's life force. Once that is done, it will sleep once more."

"So, what you're saying is," Beast Boy said slowly. "As well as having a prophecy looming over our heads, we also have a magical dagger trying to kill us all?"

"Don't be an idiot." Raven sighed. "It won't animate on its own. It will call to you, and try to make you kill yourself or someone else. I can move it to another dimension, which is the only way to keep us safe, but I don't know how my powers will react to anything right now."

"Isn't there any other way?" Robin asked. "You said yourself that your powers might be dangerous."

"I did," Raven amended. "But would you prefer that one of us go on a killing spree?"

XXX

In the end, it was obvious that they had no choice. Cyborg was chosen to go get the knife, as his robot programming might help him resist the urge that the dagger put forth. However, even as he returned to the med wing, his eyes were fixed on the dagger with a strange expression on his face. The fact that the blade still glistened with Raven's blood did not help at all. Cy put the weapon down in front of Raven, nodding in response to Robin, asking him anxiously if he was okay. The dagger was casting its spell to all of them, but as a group they were able to help each other.

Raven placed her hands over the object, wincing as the movement pulled at the stitches on her wrists. She took in a deep breath, wondering if there was any chance in hell she could convince her friends to leave the room. She wouldn't kill herself, though she still thought it would be best. She was just worried that her powers would have a dangerous effect when used, especially with this dark force, and she wanted to keep her friends as safe as possible. Raven glanced at Robin, but he shook his head firmly in response to her silent question.

"We're staying."

With hands glowing with power, Raven began to speak in Latin. Her eyes shone white, and she struggled to stay focused. She could feel the familiar void of her powers, but there was something else, something she couldn't control. Raven began to panic as the void to another dimension opened before her. She was too out of it to even register which one it was. All she knew was that the dagger was calling to her, and through her, her powers were rising. She couldn't do it; she was losing control! Raven gasped as her power suddenly surged to life of its own accord, encasing her body in a black glow and circling the dagger with tendrils of dark magic.

Robin dragged Starfire out of the way as a black wave of power nearly hit her. They had known that it was dangerous to let Raven use her powers, but this was worse than what they had feared. Raven's eyes were slowly turning a reflective black, her power raging rampant around the room. All the electronics were blinking on and off and the lights exploded. Still weak from lost blood, Raven couldn't stop the flow of dark magic that the dagger pulled from her. She, as well as the others in the room, knew that she couldn't hold on much longer.

Black magic was swirling around her, circling the portal to another dimension, and causing the dagger to float in the air before her. Every part of Raven's powers was begin affected, and her already weakened body could not cope. She flipped between her solid form and her soul self, heard snippets of her friends' thoughts and felt their emotions, and tried to stop levitating. Everything was slipping from her grasp, and any control she had over her powers was fading and gone.

That was when a hand placed itself firmly on her shoulder, scaring her enough to send a heart monitor flying across the room. She forced her eyes to see clearly, and was shocked to see Beast Boy's worried eyes staring back at her.

"What are you doing?" she yelled, trying to push him away. "You'll be killed!"

"No, I won't." His voice was surprisingly soft and calming. "You won't let me."

Raven felt a few tears fall from her eyes as the stress her body was under became too much. "I can't!"

"You can. I trust you."

Raven sobbed and shook her head, her muscles shaking from tension and her powers still raging around them. She closed her eyes, trying to find something to give her strength. She found it, not in herself, but in the thin pair of arms which wrapped themselves around her. Her eyes shot open, and she looked at Beast Boy's trusting eyes. After an indeterminable amount of time, she closed her eyes again, and reached deep within herself, right to her very soul, from which the power flowed. Instead of trying to stop it by force, she simply let the warmth she felt from Beast Boy's embrace flow into her center.

Slowly, ever so slowly, her powers calmed. Raven opened her eyes to see the dagger set safely on a stone in the other dimension. She breathed a sigh of relief, the last of her powers falling silent.

"You did it," Beast Boy breathed, his voice heavy with relief. "Sort of."

Raven frowned at this, and turned to look at him. It took her a moment to realize that something wasn't right. Behind him, there were not the white walls of the med wing, but a deep red sky. Her head snapped around, taking in Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg, all looking around at the barren landscape that surrounded them.

"Oops."


	10. The Final Battle - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst, death (not really and not explicit), the whole thing.

Chapter Ten: The Final Battle – Part 1

"Um..." Beast Boy said as the ground started to shake. "Where are we now? What is this place? And any chance we could get back home, Raven? Raven?"

The empath's eyes were fixed on the dagger, which was glowing with a red light. "It's him! Oh, Azar, what have I done? This is the place. I can't let this happen."

"What's going on?" Robin asked worriedly.

"This is the place where I saw you all die. And that sound is my father." Raven was crying again, but she couldn't help it. Everything she had feared, everything she had tried to stop, was happening right before her eyes. "Any moment now, he will find his way here and trigger my powers, which will then destroy both this dimension and Earths, if not more. I'm sorry," she gasped.

"Oh." Beast Boy looked around again. It didn't seem like too bad of a place to die. Sure, the sky was burnt red and there was nothing but black rocks and an ashy plain for miles, but at least nothing else was trying to kill them. Yet.

Raven didn't know what to do. Really, there was nothing she  _could_  do. She had failed. Wait… no. Even if this was the place of her vision, that didn't mean that the events she saw were going to take place. She could still change them. She could still save her friends.

"Listen up," she said, her voice strong. "My father is bringing his demons with him, and they're not like anything we've ever faced before. Star, Cy, you have to take the fire demons. They can only be killed by raw power, and if you touch them, you'll die. Robin and Beast Boy, you'll have to take the other demons. They have swords and poisoned arrows, so be careful. When my father comes, I'll drive him back. He's the biggest threat right now. Don't fight to kill, buy for time. If I can destroy my father, then my powers will be safe again, and I can bring us home safely. Just make sure you're alive when I do."

The titans looked at their friend in surprise. Eventually, Robin nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

XXX

Trigon had felt his daughter's presence. When he finally surfaced, he expected to find a trembling child at his feet. Instead, he was instantly hit with a ball of black energy, sending him reeling back into the hole he had clambered out of. Infuriated, he ordered his minions to go. "Kill them all!"

"Titans, go!" Robin yelled, and the fight began.

There were so many demons, and not just the ones Raven had described. Hundreds of creatures from hell had gathered to serve their lord Trigon, and it only took the titans a moment to realize that there was no way they could fight all of them. So, rather than fight for numbers, they fought for time. As long as Raven could defeat Trigon and expel all the dark power that had been building inside of her, she would be able to bring them all home. They just had to hang on until then. With this in mind, the titans formed a tight half-circle, backed up against a rocky ledge. Robin and Starfire on the left, and Beast Boy and Cyborg on the right, with Raven blasting away in the middle.

As well as watching for any sign of her father, the empath was watching over her friends. She stopped a poisoned arrow from hitting Robin, shielded Beast Boy and Cyborg from a wave of fire, and sent out shards of power that ripped through whatever they met. Raven was getting stronger. She could feel the darkness rising in her, and rather than try to control it, she was finally able to use it. In a moment of ironic happiness, as a spear broke through her defences and whizzed past her head, Raven thought that things had actually worked out rather nicely – that was, as long as they all didn't end up dead.

Any good feelings that the titans held – confidence, pride, joy – were quickly trampled as the number of demons just kept rising. There was no stop to the sea of bodies surrounding them, and the only thing that had kept them alive thus far was the fact that no more than twenty monsters could reach them at once. With no other set opponent to face, Raven was able to take care of any weapon being sent their way, while Starfire and Cyborg sent out waves of power, and Robin and Beast Boy took on the hand-to-hand combat.

However, there were signs that they were weakening. Robin's last staff broke in two. Beast Boy changed into the beast, his last defence. Cyborg sent out wide sweeps of sonic rays, any attempt of changing his opponents gone. Starfire was no longer flying. And still, Trigon did not come.

"This isn't working!" was Robin's hopeless and rather unnecessary cry when there was a pause in the battle. "We need another plan!"

"I have one," Raven said, sending out a wave of dark energy. "But you're not going to like it." Her eyes were glowing red.

"If you're going to say anything about sending us away or going to face Trigon alone, don't bother," Cyborg said, and the faces of the other titans hardened in agreement.

"But if he's not going to come to us then I have to go to him." Raven swallowed as her magic darkened. She didn't have much time left. "If you cover me, I can find him and get this over with."

None of them liked it. The very idea of Raven facing her greatest fear alone was horrible to them. But they knew there was no other option. None of them said it. But they all resigned to let her go.

Raven sent out a huge wave of power, momentarily blinding or knocking out the demons. Then, she left. The others did what they could to help her. Starfire used all of her fury to send a flood of starbolts out. Robin sent his last birdmarang out to behead a demon that tried to grab her. Cyborg swept the beam of his sonic canon under where she flew, trying to clear a path for his friend. Beast Boy, unbidden, followed her.

Raven hovered over the hole which led to the underworld of this dimension. Still more demons were climbing the craggy rocks, trying to get out and fight her friends. That thought was what sent her diving down through the masses of monsters that all rose up to kill her. She covered herself in a magical shield, knowing that she couldn't risk transforming into her soul-self – her powers were dark now, and she could not let herself fall into her father's clutches by being consumed by rage.

The floor of the giant cavern was covered in bones. Many of them were of demons, from battles and feasts and Trigon's own deadly games. Others were human bones, and Raven tried not to think of where they came from. Trigon sat in his throne, four red eyes fixed calmly on his daughter. Both of them had known that she would come.

Raven didn't waste time with words. She summoned all of her power, preparing for a single blow that would end all of this. She knew that it was her only hope.

"Dear daughter," Trigon laughed. "Are you trying to kill me again?"

"Shut up!" Raven growled. "You are not my father. I'm going to end this, once and for all!"

"I think you have another problem," the devil's son smiled, and Raven paled.

The empath whirled around, seeing what she had been dreading the most. She had saved Cyborg from the fire demons so far. She had stopped the poison arrow from hitting Starfire. Her father stood before her, and so he could not get to Robin. She had done everything she could to stop her vision from coming to pass. Yet, there he stood, his eyes dulled and uniform splattered with blood. Beast Boy looked at her, trying to call her name, and in his hand he held a glowing silver dagger.


	11. The Final Battle - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More drama, angst, blood, violence, and then all the character death at the end of the battle. Some more death. Woo. Only the epilogue after this. It's a rushed ending, but it gets the message across. Thanks for all the positive reviews so far!

Chapter Eleven: The Final Battle – Part 2

"No," Raven whispered, feeling an icy cold fist close around her heart. "Beast Boy, no."

The changeling took a step forward, his mind fighting against his body's reply to the dagger. Tears fell from his eyes as his internal struggle played out, even though his face remained void of any emotion. Suddenly, he lunged forwards, the dagger pointing straight at Raven's heart. The empath put up a shield, blocking his blows. Beast Boy drove forwards, the dagger forcing his thirst for blood.

Trigon watched at the green child tried to slay his daughter, and he smiled. If Raven was killed, no one would be able to keep him from taking over the universe. If the changeling turned the knife upon himself, her grief would drive her to darkness and she would follow the path of her father. Either way, he would win. Trigon smirked and threw a fireball at his daughter, catching her off guard and giving the green one a chance to finish it.

Raven gasped as the ball of fire struck the ground before her, and in the split second that her attention was elsewhere, Beast Boy made his move. The empath turned back just in time to see the dagger falling towards her in a steep arc. She moved, but not quickly enough.

The silver dagger cut deeply down her right arm, the glow around it turning a deeper red as it tasted blood again. Meanwhile, Beast Boy stopped dead.

"Raven," he gasped, his keen senses picking up the overwhelming sense of blood. And not just any blood. Beast Boy knew that scent, and it was powerful enough to snap him out of his trance. "Oh my God, Raven!"

Raven was about to reply when, suddenly, the dagger pulsed brightly and started humming with power. It was starving, craving blood so powerfully that it took on a life of its own. Someone would be dead soon, and it didn't care who.

The spark from Beast Boy's eyes faded completely, and he lunged instantly. Raven was ready this time, and put up a shield between them. Beastboy attacked again and again, any form of rational thought gone from his mind. The dagger was in complete control of him, and there was no stopping it now. Raven expanded the shield to completely cover her in a black force field. She watched as the changeling lunged blindly at her, ramming over and over against her shield. The dagger was getting angry.

Trigon saw his opportunity, and he took it. He sent a powerful blast of magic at his daughter, breaking through her shield and stunning her, but also driving the dagger back. The silver knife shone angrily, and made a decision. Beast Boy stopped moving and glanced down at the weapon in his hand. Slowly, he brought it up to his own chest, angled perfectly towards his heart. Raven lifted herself off the ground, shaking her head to try and clear it. A soft call drew her attention.

"Raven," Beast Boy said, his voice a choked whisper and his eyes shining with unshed tears. "Help me, Raven."

Raven stumbled towards him and caught him as he fell. He stared into her eyes, unafraid. His expression was peaceful, trusting, and filled with love. He said nothing, and neither did she, but they held their gaze until the lights faded from his eyes. Beast Boy was gone.

"You see, dear daughter," Trigon laughed. "This is what happens when you defy me."

The empath, who had been staring at Beast Boy in shock, looked up slowly. "No."

Trigon laughed again. "No? You are pathetic, my daughter."

"No," Raven said again, louder this time. "You can't do this. I promised that I would destroy you, and I will keep that promise."

"How?" the devil's son smirked. "You can barely suppress the darkness within you. Above us, your last few friends are being slaughtered, and just look what lies in your arms. He is dead because of you. You caused this, my daughter, and no one else."

Raven didn't answer him. She didn't threaten him, or rise to her feat. She didn't even look at him; her gaze was fixed firmly on Beast Boy's lifeless eyes. Her eyes flashed red and her power became pitch black. Dark magic rolled off of her in waves, creating a swirling black cocoon. Then, Raven screamed. The swirling sheets of magic turned into a solid wall of black power, which shot out in every direction.

The walls of the cavern began to crumble. Up on the surface, hundreds of demons fell dead. Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire, were hit with full force. The world was being torn apart. In the middle of the swirling vortex of power, Raven clutched Beast Boy in her arms. She had stopped screaming and simply clung to him, her eyes closed tight and her body glowing with a black aura.

Trigon had a red shield around him, and watched happily as his daughter succumbed to the dark. Her power was still raging, and with every passing second she fell further under his control. But then, something caught his eye. In the middle of the power, right in the heart of the storm, a white light blazed.

"No!" Trigon cried out, recognizing the light. He summoned a great blast of power and shot it at where the white-clad Raven knelt. To his shock and horror, though, his magic was shot right back at him, the pure force expanding as it did so.

Raven had succumbed to nothing.

The white light spread out from where the empath was still stooped, flowing over the entire hell dimension. Trigon shouted out in pain and fury as, once again, the White Raven cast him away. Gradually, her power faded, and the empath opened her eyes. She looked down, and saw two bright green eyes blinking slowly back at her. Without a word, Raven stood and flew up to the surface with him still in her arms. She found her three friends, lying dazed and drew them all into her power. Raven flew straight for the portal that was opening before her, and finally, brought them all home.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the fluff.

Epilogue

The titans were taking a day off. What with the saving the universe and all that, they felt that they deserved it. Starfire was in the kitchen making the pudding of happiness, Cyborg was ordering them all some pizza (just on the off chance that they didn't like Star's pudding), and Raven and Beast Boy sat together on the couch. They all felt the need to be close to each other, and the empath and the changeling were content to just be there together.

"I have a report," Robin said, walking in to the room slowly. "I've talked to our 'intruder.'"

There was a pause, then everyone burst out laughing. After all they had been through, how Slade had gotten into the tower seemed like a petty problem.

"Go ahead," Cyborg said, hanging up the phone. "How did the dude make himself invisible?"

"And how did he know about the prophecy?" Raven asked, swatting Beast Boy's hand away as he tried to play with her hair.

"He had invented some sort of device that erased him from the cameras, and bought a spell that hid him from the naked eye," Robin said slowly. "Naturally, we're going to have to get it from him sooner or later."

"Naturally," Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg muttered in unison.

"And, according Slade himself, he had once again formed an alliance with Trigon," Robin continued. "You think he would have known better after the last time."

"Some people never learn," Cyborg agreed. "Speaking of which, you want to try some of Star's pudding?"

As the others laughed and got into a half-serious struggle for their lives, Raven and Beast Boy just sat back on the couch again. Beast Boy had his arm around Raven's shoulder, and she smiled at him.

"I like your new look," he said softly, indicating her long hair and white robes.

"Thanks," Raven laughed. "But I think I'll go back to blue. I'm thinking of adding something, though. Make it a little brighter."

"I like that idea," Beast Boy agreed. "I mean, you're practically an angel now, you know."

Raven blushed deeply. "Just because I got rid of my dark power-"

"And healed all of our wounds, and destroyed Trigon, and brought me back from the dead," Beast Boy sighed good-naturedly. "For once, Raven, I think you can give yourself a bit of credit."

"Thank you, for everything," the empath said, leaning her head comfortably against his shoulder. "Oh, and Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me Rae."

~The End~


End file.
